She Would Never
by Musical Redhead
Summary: So she slept with a married guy. It wasn't the worst idea in the world, it just needed a better execution. AU
1. Take One

**A/N**: I wrote a letter to Princess Rory-Sue explaining my future work with her. It's at my LJ. There will be four affair scenarios.

**Disclaimer**: I borrow characters and some dialogue.

**Take One: Ignorance is Bliss **

Rory fumed as she watched that jerk Graham leave the pub with his friends. They were still talking about some idiotic football game—or maybe it was basketball. She didn't know or care which. She asked the waitress where she could find an ATM, but was dissuaded from walking in this neighborhood at night. Terrific, she was stranded here.

She looked through the contacts on her phone, hoping she'd find one who could rescue her from this miserable night. She scrolled up and down between a few names. Her mother was her first choice, and the most convenient. If Lorelai could come to New Haven, she could take some of the boxes that were sitting in Rory's dorm. But her mother didn't answer when Rory tried the house or her cell. Where could she be? She and Jason broke up, so she couldn't be out on a date.

Oh that's right, she was at a wedding with Luke. Were they still out? Apparently so.

Paris would have been the next logical choice, except she was already finished with her finals. It wouldn't be a big deal if she was just at her parents' in Hartford, but that wasn't where Paris was tonight. She was with Asher, or perhaps tending to him was a better way to put it, after his recent health scare. The thought of her roommate showing up with Professor Fleming in tow was enough to cross Paris off the list.

There were her grandparents, but she didn't want to explain to Emily why things with Graham didn't work out. Her grandmother had meant well, but it was disconcerting if she thought that guy was Rory's type. No, her grandparents weren't an option. They had enough on their plate with their secret separation.

Rory skipped over a couple names to go back up the list. Lane—what could she do? She didn't have a car. Rory landed on Marty then.

She and Marty had exchanged numbers after the Harvard-Yale Game back in the fall. It had been a smart trade, as they had a couple classes together and helped each other study throughout the year. It was nice to have a new friend. Rory liked Marty, he was nice and cute. And after his embarrassment over his first naked night at college wore off, he wasn't as awkward as she first found him.

Rory pressed the dial button and waited for an answer. When Marty answered, she relayed the Cliff's Notes version of her plight and gave him the address when he agreed to come get her.

"Tell me again where you met this guy," he asked when he arrived and took a seat opposite her at the table.

"I feel so stupid," she said. "It was someone my grandma knew since he was in diapers and she set us up. She was blatant and shameless about it too." Rory added, "He and his friends were rowdy and rude—and oh, they were going to drive themselves to another pub even though they're all drunk."

Marty smiled and shook his head. "Sorry you had such a bad night."

"It's okay. I wasn't too heartbroken to see him go," she said. "I hope I didn't catch you in the middle of anything important."

"No, no, don't worry about it. I was just finishing packing up my car," he said. "Do you have any big summer plans?"

"Not really," Rory answered. "I'll probably just be helping my mom at her new inn. She's having a test run next week. Are you doing anything exciting?"

"I'll be working the whole time. You know, keeping myself out of trouble."

"Right," she said with a small smile. She was sure Marty would have no problem keeping his nose clean. She was going to miss him over the summer. "Hey, if you aren't doing anything, and if you don't live too far, we should get together and hang out," she hedged nervously.

Marty smiled easily. "Sure, just give me a call."

They sat and ordered food, while the conversation turned from their finals to Paris and Professor Fleming. That particular subject made them both shudder. When they were finished eating, Marty drove her back to their dorm building.

Rory started talking about all the reading for pleasure she was planning to do over summer break. "I'm not going to think about Chaucer or Kafka or Machiavelli. They can all stay in their boxes," she said pointing toward her door. "I'll be too busy reading _Jane Magazine_ and wondering why Uma wore that dress. Fun stuff, like that."

Marty's lips pulled into a slow grin. "You'll probably think about Kafka a little."

"Maybe, but forget those other bozos." They were both quiet for a moment as they approached her door. For some reason, she didn't want see him go. It was nice to get out and laugh with someone she shared inside jokes with. She tried to think of something else to say to stall him.

He looked around the dark campus that was void of students. He commented, "It's so quiet."

"This is a weird time to be here," she said. "We must be the only two people left." She fiddled with her keys and thanked him for rescuing her.

"Hey Rory," Marty said, turning his intent gaze on her.

"Yeah?" she said, looking up at him, her pulse quickening.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

She could only shake her head and lift herself on her toes, as Marty's lips were descending.

Abruptly, the bubble burst when they were joined by a third person. Rory looked over to see Jess standing there with a look of determination in his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I need to talk to you," he said, approaching them. He was wearing his black leather jacket and his hair was grown out.

Marty looked back and forth between the two. "Who's this?"

In a pleading tone that asked for his forgiveness, she said, "I need you to go."

His eyes clouded as he frowned. He glanced at Jess and back at Rory. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said with a nod. "Go."

He headed up the stairs toward his own dorm.

When he was gone, Jess turned to her and stared talking. He wanted to go away with her, he wanted them to be together again. He insisted they loved each other and they belonged together. Her boxes were packed, it was perfect, he said. He begged her, he pleaded.

"No!" she said, not wanting to hear any more of this nonsense.

"Don't say no because you're scared or want to get rid of me. Only say no if you don't want to be with me."

"No." She was firm, and was doing her best to remain calm.

Jess didn't say anymore. He just gave her a disappointed look and turned to go. He didn't turn back, and Rory followed him to the door to make sure he really left. She sighed heavily, relieved that it was over. She sat down on one of the boxes and rubbed her face in her hands.

There was a soft knock on the door a few minutes later. She glanced over to see Marty stick his head in. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded and put on a brave face. "Yeah."

He took a tentative step in. "I just saw him go."

Rory realized that Marty had no idea who Jess was, and that he hadn't gone all the way to his dorm room. "That was my high school boyfriend," she said. "He ran off to California last year. No goodbye, no note. He was just gone one day."

"That sucks," Marty said consolingly. He sat down on another box that faced her.

"Any chance you didn't hear any of that?"

"Oh, no," he said. "It would have been rude to eavesdrop."

She eyed him skeptically.

"Yeah, I heard the whole thing," he confessed with an apologetic grin.

Rory rubbed her face with both hands. "This has to be the most embarrassing night of my life." She lifted her hand toward the door where Jess had disappeared. "We haven't even talked—really talked—in a year. He just pops up at random times, like this. He used to do that before we were dating and it was always a surprise I liked." She shook her head. "But now I just wish he'd stop."

Marty was quiet for a moment, letting her mull things over. Then he asked, "Would you still be dating him now, if he didn't, you know, leave?"

Rory shook her head again. "No. He never talked to me about anything important in his life. He just brooded silently. I really liked him," she said. "But I couldn't count on him. It was an exhausting relationship."

Marty nodded slowly. "So, no?"

"No." She didn't say anything for a moment, but then she had to ask, "Why?"

He leaned in towards her. "Because I don't like it when people I care about get hurt."

"And you care about me?" she asked, glancing at his lips, then to his brown eyes.

He nodded and finally closed the distance between them to kiss her full on the mouth. His hand wrapped around her lower back, wanting to pull her closer. It was awkward though, with both of them sitting on boxes. She pulled away enough to say, "The bed would be more comfortable."

Marty's eyes were dark as he practically dragged her up to lead her into the bedroom.

They sat down and continued kissing, and Rory momentarily panicked. She'd only meant that it was more comfortable compared to the boxes. Marty probably heard her implying more than that. But as he kissed a trail down her neck, her resolve slipped away. When his hands pawed at the hem of her shirt, she was the one to pull it up over her head.

XXX

Rory sighed contently from her half of her twin size bed. She glanced over at Marty, admiring the nice abs that she hadn't expected to be hiding under his shirt.

"How are you?" he asked, concern in his eyes.

"Good," she said with a small smile. "Very good."

"I didn't go too fast, did I?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. It was perfect." Her eyes swept around the room. Her sheets were the only thing that still needed to be packed up in the morning. "It's too bad my stereo is in a box. We need a song to commemorate this moment."

They were both startled by the sound of rapping on the outer door.

Frowning, Marty asked, "Were you expecting anyone else tonight?"

"No," Rory said, sitting up. "I hope it isn't Jess again. I thought he got the message."

Marty grinned. "I could go to the door and tell him again for you."

She shot him a look and picked up her clothes. They both quickly dressed before Marty followed Rory to the door. She opened it to find a tall dark haired girl on the other side.

"There you are," the girl said, looking past Rory to Marty. "I've been looking all over for you."

Rory's brows furrowed, glancing to Marty. "Who's this?"

"Apparently it's ex's night in New Haven," he said with wide eyes.

"I'm not your ex, I'm your wife," the girl said, offended. She glared at Rory. "Who are you?"

Rory's eyes grew wide in horror. She turned them on Marty. "Wife? You're _married_?" She turned back to the inside of her dorm. "Oh my god. Oh my god," she muttered. "You have a wife? And we just—oh my god."

"Rory, no it isn't what it sounds like."

"What does it sound like?" the other girl asked Marty with narrowed eyes, head tilted inquisitively.

He looked back and forth between the two girls. "We aren't really married," he said in defense to one girl and in defiance to the other.

"According to the state of Maine we are."

"It was a big mistake, Lucy, we agreed," he said to his wife. His _wife_. He had a wife. He frantically turned his head between the two young women.

"I didn't agree to anything."

Rory regained her nerve and said, "You made sure I didn't have a boyfriend—you asked directly, but you have a wife? A _wife_." She put a palm to the side of her head. "I have to get out of here."

"No, don't leave, I want to explain," Marty pleaded.

"I don't want to hear it," Rory said. She looked over at Lucy. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to come between you."

"Rory—"

She moved between them to get to the door, not caring that she was leaving them in her dorm with her stuff. She'd deal with that later. She just needed to get away from this, the worst night of her life.

XXX

"Don't worry dear," Miss Patty said sympathetically, patting Rory on her arm. "It happens to the best of us. Some weasels want to have their cake and eat it too. It doesn't mean they're all like that though."

"Have you thought about how you're going to get even?" Babette asked. "Maybe you and the wife can team up and come up with something that'll really teach him a lesson."

The two women had stopped Rory as she passed their table in the dining room at the Dragonfly. They rendered her speechless. She was beyond mortified that they found out about what she'd done a week ago. A married man. She slept with a married man. Rory was still coming to terms with it. She felt sick every time she thought about it. And without classes and roommates to distract her, she had no choice but to think about it constantly. She used to be such a good girl. Now she was the other woman. She was someone's mistress.

Marty kept calling her. Her voicemail was full of messages of him trying to explain. She listened to one, out of curiosity. Lucy was his high school sweetheart. They got married on a whim at the end of their senior year, not wanting to breakup just because they were going to different colleges. But after Marty got to Yale, he felt like it was all a big mistake. He told Lucy as much, and mailed divorce papers, but she didn't want to give up without talking in person.

Rory listened to the message once before deleting it. He called so often she had to turn her phone off.

Now she cowered in the kitchen, hiding from the citizens of her town, who were all discussing the train wreck that was her first time.

"Hey, why are you hiding in here?" Lorelai asked when she found her daughter beside the large refrigerator.

"Why do you think?" Rory asked, exasperated. She pointed to the door. "They all know what I did and they're talking about it amongst themselves." She added, "I'm so sorry about ruining your big weekend. This is supposed to be about you and the inn."

"It's okay. It isn't your fault—you didn't know Marty was married. They know that. Trust me, they are all on your side."

"How did they even find out?"

Lorelai gave her a look of pity. "This is Stars Hollow. And that's Miss Patty and Babette out there. They were always going to find out."

"But it didn't happen here. It was in New Haven," Rory argued.

"Aw, it's cute that you think distance would stop them from hearing about it," Lorelai said. "With Eastside Tilly, we basically have a telephone operator listening in on everyone's calls."

Rory groaned and sat down, pulling her knees up and rocking back and forth. "I can't believe I broke up a marriage."

Her mother put an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, you did not break up a marriage. You're Rory, you would never do that."

"But I did," Rory protested. "Marty and Lucy could have worked things out, but now he cheated on her with me."

Lorelai's expression softened, "Ah, honey, I hate that your first time went so bad. It was supposed to be—well, it was supposed to be when you were in a retirement home, when I'm not around to know it ever happened."

Rory's lips pursed grimly.

"But it was supposed to be special, and with a guy who was single. Not _single_ single, but in a relationship with you and you alone."

Rory stood up and sighed. "Is there anything I can do? I hate sitting here, it gives me too much time to think."

Lorelai thought about it for a moment, then brightened. "Actually, there is something you can do. I wanted to have some CDs at the front desk in case any of the gusts wanted to listen to music before they go to bed, but I forgot to bring some. Can you make a trip home?"

Rory nodded. "Definitely."

XXX

She never made it back to the inn. Rory sat and stared at the sheet of paper in front of her. 'Dear Lucy' was as far as she'd gotten in the hour she'd been sitting at her desk. She didn't know what to write other than 'I'm sorry'. Somehow, those two small words didn't seem like enough.

Here she was, an adult, making adult mistakes, and all she could do was sit at her desk writing a letter the same way she'd done two years ago in DC. She couldn't think of anything to say to Jess back then, just like she couldn't offer up anything better than a pitiful 'I'm sorry' to Lucy.

She called herself a writer, and an adult. She was a nineteen year old child who couldn't deal with her problems in person.

She ripped the mostly blank page out of the notebook and threw it in the trash. A letter was a cop out anyway. It screamed 'I'm too ashamed of what I did to face the facts, so here's a measly note'. It was actually quite a lot to be screaming.

She exhaled and turned on her computer. She went to a website that would generate directions and printed off a map detailing how to get from Connecticut to Maine.

It was late, but she didn't care. She wasn't going to be able to live with herself until she faced this—faced Lucy.

The drive was long, but not long enough as she crossed the Maine state line. It made her anxious just to be in the same state as Lucy, the wife who was wronged. Rory shook her head, still in disbelief. She couldn't imagine walking in on a boyfriend, much less a husband, with another girl. It must be horrible to experience that kind of betrayal.

When Rory arrived in town, it was too late to go knocking on anyone's door. She found a hotel to get a few hours of sleep before morning.

She didn't have anything prepared as she stood in front of Lucy's house, or rather Lucy's parents' house. She wondered if word got around this town the same way it did in Stars Hollow. If it did, then Marty was probably keeping a low profile. That was fine by her. She didn't want to hear any more explanations or justifications for sleeping with one girl while still married to another.

Lucy's house was two stories with a few trees in the front yard. One of the trees even had a tire swing hanging from one of the branches. There was a side walk that led up to a large porch. It looked as average and normal as the house Rory grew up in. She knocked on the door and waited. She didn't know if she wanted someone to be home or not.

The door swung open a moment later, and Lucy stood on the other side. She looked slightly caught off guard at the site of her husband's mistress, but hid it well.

"Uh, Lucy, hi," Rory said timidly. "I'm sure you never wanted to see me again, and I understand that completely."  
"You do?" the other girl asked skeptically.

"Well, no, I actually don't know what it's like. But I know I wouldn't want to be in your place right now." Averting her gaze, she muttered, "I don't want to be in my place right now." With resolve, she looked back at Lucy in the eye.

"I'm sorry about what happened. You have no idea how sorry I am. I didn't mean to hurt anyone, especially someone I don't know existed." She quickly added, "And I had no idea that Marty was married. He never mentioned you, or wore a ring."

Rory belatedly realized how it sounded after she saw Lucy's eyes cloud. The words that were meant to clear her own name stung the person hearing them. "I mean, I'm sorry, that came out wrong. I'm sure he thought about you and just kept it to himself."

"I know you didn't mean it like that," Lucy said. "It still just sucks to hear it." She stepped out to the porch and walked out to sit at the front step. "We were just dumb kids."

Rory sat down next to her, unsure if she should say anything.

"I mean, who marries their high school boyfriend before heading off to different colleges?" Lucy asked helplessly. "I go to an all-girls school. It wasn't like I was going to regret staying with Marty. And I really thought I could trust him."

"He comes off as a good guy," Rory said.

Lucy swallowed hard. "He is." After a moment, she sighed. "I'll sign the divorce papers. You'll be able to date him. I won't get in the way if that's what he wants."

Rory shook her head. "No. I can't trust him after this. Maybe you guys can still work it out."

Lucy sadly said, "I don't think so. He obviously doesn't want to. He should be free to do whatever he wants. It's college, after all. Everyone should be able to go out and sow their wild oats without being tied down to someone."

Rory wasn't sure Marty had any wild oats in him.

On her way home, she got a call from her mother. "Hey," Lorelai said. "Grandma's booking a trip to Europe. She asked if you wanted to go along."

"Oh, I don't know," Rory said. "I was going to help you at the inn this summer."

"It would only be for a month or so. The inn will still be here then."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm a little worried about Mom," Lorelai admitted. "I think it would be good if you were there with her. And you could use some time away. Things will die down by the time you get back."

Rory considered the offer. It was true that some separation would be welcome. "Okay, yeah. Europe sounds good."

_**Fin**_


	2. Take Two

**A/N**: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Here's a season 5 opener I could have lived with.

**Take Two: Dallas Was on to Something **

_"What are you going to do now? Rory?" Lorelai asked, following Rory through the house._

_ "I hate that you're ruining this for me!" Rory said petulantly, storming out of the house and sitting on the front stoop. She just had her first time and all her mother was worried about was Dean's 'wife', if Lindsay could even still be called that. Why didn't her mother understand that their marriage wasn't working?_

_ She found Dean's number on her phone and dialed it. After a moment, someone picked up, but it wasn't Dean. _

_ "Hello?" Lindsay answered. "Hello." _

Rory gasped and opened her eyes abruptly. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she was out of breath. She sat up and looked around her surroundings. The hostile was dark and quiet, as everyone was asleep, save her. They were in Europe, but at the moment, she couldn't remember what country. She shook her mother's shoulder. "Mom, wake up."

Lorelai groaned and didn't wake up right away. It took some coaxing before she was cognizant. "What is it?" she asked, groggy and not at all happy to have her slumber disrupted.

"I just had the worse dream," Rory said.

Lorelai squinted to try to make out Rory in the dark. "You woke me up in the middle of the night because of a scary dream? What are you, five?"

"Mom, I'm serious, it was so real."

Lorelai sighed in resignation and sat up. "What happened?"

"It was awful. I dreamed we got back home from Europe and found out I wrote down the wrong date for when I have to be at Yale." Rory reached down at her feet to pull her backpack up so she could rummage in it for her schedule.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for my calendar," she answered, exasperated. Wasn't it obvious? She found her planner and leafed through the pages. She looked at the August page hard, trying to see in the dark. She wrote a big note to herself to call Yale to double check the move-in date.

"Is that all? Can I go back to sleep now?" Lorelai asked. "Not that this wasn't quite the thriller. If you turn it into a novel I'm sure it'll get optioned for a movie in no time."

Rory put her calendar back in the bag and tossed it aside. "Oh my god, that was only the beginning. Everything kept getting worse from there." With wide eyes full of concern, she said, "Mom, I slept with Dean."

"What? You slept with Dean?"

Rory glanced around frantically and shushed her mother. "Be quiet. Someone might hear."

Lorelai looked at her like she was crazy. "Calm down, it was a dream. And it really isn't even a big deal if it happened in real life. I mean, I don't want to think about you sleeping with anyone ever, but it won't be the end of the world when you do."

"No, Mom, listen. _He was married_. And I slept with him anyway."

"You wouldn't do that," Lorelai said, rolling her eyes.

Rory argued, "But I did do it. He married Lindsay and I slept with him anyway—like I didn't even care." She held up her hands in a gesture of helplessness and leaned in to hiss, "_I had an affair with him_."

Lorelai struggled for a moment, buy gave into the laughter. "Okay, so you're dream skank?" She laughed more.

"Mom, it isn't funny." She wrapped her arms around her knees for comfort.

"It's a little funny, you should see yourself right now," Lorelai said. "It was just a ridiculous dream. You are Rory."

"So?"

"So, you are the last person on the planet who would ever do something like that."

Rory lifted her shoulder. "In the dream I did. I thought Dean was still mine. I didn't care about Lindsay or their marriage and I wasn't dating anyone else, so—oh, Jess showed up a few times."

Lorelai softened. "Jess? Honey, he's in California, you know that."

"Well he came back to tell me he loves me and to beg me to run away with him—that was before I slept with Dean. I was almost finished with finals for the year too," Rory said ruefully.

"As in spring finals—a year from now?" Lorelai asked, amused.

"Yes," Rory said, her straight face contrasting Lorelai's comical one. "Give or take a couple months."

"Dean and Jess were still dueling for your attention a year from now even after one got married and the other moved to the other side of the country?"

Rory wished she hadn't said anything. Maybe she should have calmed herself down before casually mentioning it in the morning. Her mother was going to have too much fun mocking her about this for the rest of the summer, if not the rest of her life.

"My, my, your subconscious thinks very highly of yourself," Lorelai commented.

"Mom," Rory groaned.

"What? Rory, I don't know what you want me to say here. You did this in a dream, not real life."

"But if my subconscious is coming up with this stuff, then maybe I'm capable of doing it in my waking hours. If I can dream it, maybe I can do it."

"Just because Walt Disney said it, doesn't make it true. Rory, be serious here, dreams are nonsense. They don't follow logic. But do you know what the good part about dreams are?"

"What?"

"You wake up. None of it happened—or will ever happen, because you wouldn't sleep with a married guy, no matter how much you regret losing Dean."

Rory's shoulders drooped. "I never said that."

"You may as well have. You spent months wishing Jess was more like Dean." Lorelai proceeded cautiously, "Maybe you haven't taken the time to get closure with those guys. It did all end with a bang. A tiny part of you might not have let go of them yet."

"Maybe," Rory admitted quietly. "I know I don't want to go through it all again. Once was enough."

Lorelai put her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "Don't worry about any of this. We will call Yale and you will get there on time, with everything you need. And you are going to have a great freshman year of college, just like we always planned—without any encounters from ghosts of boyfriends past. There'll be more boys at college then you'll know what to do with."

"Thanks Mom," Rory said, the relief starting to slowly wash over her. Abruptly, another thought came to mind. "When we call the school, we have to make sure Paris isn't my roommate."

Lorelai looked at her, real concern on her face now. "You dreamed Paris was your roommate at Yale?"

"Yes, and she hooked up with a professor who's as old as Grandpa. I saw them making out!"

"Rory, you didn't have a dream. That's the definition of a nightmare." She soothed Rory and saw that she got back to sleep okay, shaking her head at her daughter's overactive imagination.

_**Fin**_


	3. Take Three

**A/N**: I was not concerned with Rory's happiness after S4, and felt she didn't deserve any. I didn't believe in her Roryness. This will reflect that. It also very slightly borrows from my next endeavor.

**Take Three: The Yale Male Affair Combo**

"So do you know where Dad is tonight?" Lorelai cautiously asked her mother as the maid served the entrée. It looked like it might be snails.

"Belgium," Emily answered.

"For the waffles, right?"

"I have no idea what he went for."

"Well it was probably for business, but I'm sure he'll stay for the waffles."

Emily didn't bat an eye. "I'm sure we have much better things to talk about than _him_."

"Sure," Lorelai said slowly, taking the hint that her father was a sore subject for her mother. "Taylor wants to install nanny cams in everyone's house to watch for home invasions," she said. "He's really set on upping the security around town."

"Security systems are sensible, Lorelai," Emily said, inspecting her snails.

"Sure, when it's your choice. But Taylor wants to spy on everyone. We all left the town meeting with so many questions. Is he the one who's going to sit in a room full of televisions to watch everyone while they're at home? Will he keep the tapes so he can play back his favorite scenes?"

"Dean was telling me about that," Rory said. "He thinks Taylor might have finally come up with the scheme that will get him kicked out of his selectman post."

Lorelai scoffed. "No one can even remember when he was elected. Taylor put himself at the helm. He and he alone will decide when he's finished with us," she said. "I think it's all an elaborate social experiment."

When the maid came to clear away the plates, Rory excused herself to use the restroom before dessert was served.

"Dean?" Emily asked eagerly, leaning in towards her daughter when they were alone. "Dean who? Do I know his parents? Did Rory finally start dating someone from Yale?" She went on before Lorelai could answer, "I'm sure it took her a while to narrow down all the prospective suitors who were interested in her."

Lorelai's brows furrowed. "She isn't dating anyone from Yale. You remember Dean, from Stars Hollow."

"Oh," Emily said, frowning in disappointment and sitting back.

"And he's married, so she isn't dating him, either."

Emily's face registered mild horror. "Married? Dean is married now?"

"Yeah, he got married last fall, to Lindsay. She's a nice girl. Rory has a great story about her from a grade school field trip, where Lindsay is a Mark Twain coin hero," Lorelai rambled. "You should have Rory tell you about it, she tells it better."

"Why on earth is Rory talking to a married man?" Emily demanded. "And one she used to date?"

"It's just Dean, they're friends," Lorelai said with a shrug.

"Rory cannot be friends with a married man, Lorelai, it's completely inappropriate." Emily added, "You should have taught her better."

"Excuse me? They're just friends. And it's Rory, what do you think she's going to do?"

"She isn't going to sneak around having annual secret lunches with a married man while his wife sits at home, oblivious."

Lorelai softened. "Mom, Rory is not Pennilyn Lott—and Pennilyn Lott isn't even doing anything with Dad," she said gently. "It was just lunch."

"Behind my back," Emily said angrily. "And I don't know _what_ he's doing over in that pool house. Do you know what it feels like to be betrayed like that by someone you trust?" She gave Lorelai a look. "Well of course you don't know."

"Hey!"

"You need to put a stop to this immediately," Emily pressed. "Rory is obviously too young and naïve to realize what she's doing."

"She isn't doing anything," Lorelai said defensively. "There isn't anything to stop."

XXX

"They're throwing a party? Together? That's great," Rory said a few days later. "What kind of party?"

"Grandma says they're having over some of Grandpa's Yale alumni friends and want to know if you'd like to go—since you go to Yale too," Lorelai said, slightly stilted. "You do not have to go if you don't want to. I can give Grandma some excuse for you and we can do something else on Friday night. We can have a movie marathon."

"No, it's okay," Rory said. "I don't mind going to an alumni party." She checked her watch and started to get up from the kitchen table. "I have to go. I'm meeting Dean at Weston's. We're supposed to get coffee and pie. I think I'm going to get cherry."

"That sounds like fun. Hey," Lorelai said, keeping it cool, "what do you and Dean talk about these days?"  
Rory frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, back in high school you guys traded books and would flirt until you thought it was an appropriate time to make out."

"Mom."

"It was okay, you were dating. You don't have to pretend you didn't kiss your boyfriend when you were sixteen. I did a lot more than that when I was sixteen—you're the proof," Lorelai rambled. "So I was wondering what you guys talk about now."

"Just stuff," Rory said with a shrug. "School and books, like we used to."

"Yeah, but Dean isn't in school anymore. And he's always working, so he probably doesn't have a lot of free time to read."

"So I talk about school and he talks about work."

"Oh, I see," Lorelai said. She didn't let Rory go just yet. "What does Lindsay talk about?"

Rory was starting to get agitated with her mother. She frowned. "Lindsay?"

"Yeah, when you guys all get together at Weston's. What does Lindsay talk about?"

"Lindsay doesn't come along. It's just me and Dean."

Lorelai tiled her head and furrowed her brows, playing innocent. "Don't you think you should invite her? I'm sure she'd like to get out of the house for a while. She works hard, what with doing the laundry and making dinner every night before Dean gets home."

"I'm not really friends with Lindsay." Since her mother was looking so concerned, Rory added, "But maybe we could invite her next time. You're right, I'm sure she'd like to get out."

"That would be very nice of you," Lorelai said with a smile, placated by her daughter's endless generosity.

XXX

"It's a party with their friends who have sons," Rory complained into the phone in her grandfather's study. She was wearing a little black dress with what must have been the queen's jewels, and a tiara on her head. She was wearing a crown!

"I'm sorry, hon," Lorelai said. "I offered to get you out of it."

"I didn't think it was going to be this. It's so embarrassing," Rory said. "All these guys must think I'm pathetic or something, that I need my grandparents to introduce me to boys."

"They do not think you're pathetic. I'm sure after they met you there was no chance they could believe that about you. You're Rory." Lorelai asked, "Do you want me to come get you?"

"Aren't you on a date with Luke?"

"He won't mind."

"No, no. Stay with him. I'll figure something out." Rory ended the call and sighed. She exited the house, walking out to the back patio. She wondered if it was strange that her grandparents had a pool and she'd never gone swimming there. Kids liked pools, after all. But Rory had never been a normal kid.

She could hear music thumping from the pool house. She could see through the windows that some of the guys had formed their own party. It was rude of them to borrow the small house—likely without her grandparents' permission. Then again, they probably wouldn't have stopped anyone from borrowing the pool house. They didn't want anyone to know Richard lived in there.

Someone exited the little house then, an admittedly good looking boy with blond hair. He and Rory were 'introduced' earlier that night. It was unnecessary of course, as they already knew each other from school. He usually had a twinkle in his eye when he smiled, which was more of a smirk. It made him appear mischievous most of the time. He was one of those big-man-on-campus types, always with a girl in tow, and somehow everyone seemed to know him. Unlike all the other girls at school, Rory couldn't call herself a fan. She wouldn't doubt it if he was the one to start the pool house party.

He wasn't at Yale last year. Rory heard he had to repeat the eleventh grade as punishment for getting into big trouble at his extremely strict boarding school. Another rumor was that he took a year off to party and aimlessly globetrot. She wasn't sure which form of disregarding responsibility was true, but both stories sounded probable to her. He was clearly trouble.

He was, as all the other young men here tonight, someone her grandparents heartily approved of, by mere mention of his last name. One of his grandfathers did business with Richard since the beginning of time. Naturally. Everyone was such great friends. She supposed her grandparents didn't know about the trouble he'd gotten into. Or maybe they did but didn't care. It didn't seem to matter as long as he came from a 'good' family.

And he was from the jackpot of good families, one with a long line of newspaper owner-publishers. He was supposedly next in line to inherit the business. Richard and Emily were more thrilled about his presence than any of the other young men here tonight. He was an excellent connection, her grandparents giddily told her. The guy didn't even write for the _Yale Daily News_, what could he know about newspapers? She definitely didn't need his help getting a job after college.

Rory sat down in a patio chair and found a number on her phone to call. Luckily, she had a second choice since her mother wasn't available. "Dean, hi, it's me," she said when he picked up. "You will never believe this party at my grandparents'. I feel so stupid. I hate to ask you, but are you doing anything now?"

He wasn't. He'd be happy to pick her up. She smiled. She knew she could count on him, she always had been able to. She told him she was sitting in the back by the pool, so he wouldn't even have to go inside.

Rory sat in silence for a few minutes with her companion. She pulled a book out of her purse and opened it to find her place.

"Great party," the boy commented from his patio chair about ten feet away.

"Oh, yeah." She lifted her book slightly. "But at least I get to catch up on my reading."

He didn't give her a look of amusement that she was accustomed to when she revealed she'd rather read than engage in the perceived excitement around her. The corner of his mouth didn't lift, there was no look of wonder at her unique, though simple habit. He just barely nodded, his strong jaw set, his eyes lacking their usual twinkle. He turned his gaze to the sparkling ripples in the pool.

It was a few minutes before he asked, "Did you notice you're the only girl here?"

"Yes. I'm sure that was a big disappointment for you."

He didn't acknowledge that comment, keeping the focus on her. "Why do you think they only invited guys?"

Rory still had her book open in her hand, but rested the spine on the table. "Knowing my grandparents, they were hoping to set me up with someone here. It's embarrassing," she said again. "I don't need them to find me a guy."

"Because you already have a boyfriend?" he asked. He gestured to the phone that was sitting on the table. "Isn't that who you were talking to just now?"

"No. It's Dean," she said. Her Dean. "We're friends."

"Good friends," the boy said. "He can drop everything to rescue the princess."

Rory wasn't sure if he was teasing her because of the tiara, but she didn't like his observations and questions either way. It wasn't his business who she was friends with. She was too annoyed to reply and returned to her book.

Headlights shined through the gate a while later. Rory looked up eagerly, closing her book and putting it in her purse with her phone. She got up to meet Dean just outside the gate when he got out of his truck.

"Hey, so what's going on?" he asked, glancing from the big house to the smaller one on the other side of the pool where the other party was in progress.

"Grandpa and Grandma are calling it an alumni party, but it's really a bunch of their friends who have sons around my age. They all go to Yale."

"Ah," Dean said, knowingly. She didn't need to tell him why they would do something like that, he already knew. He was intimately aware of their opinions on who was 'good enough' for her. It wasn't fair at all, of course. Dean worked so much harder than any of the boys her grandparents approved of. Boys like the newspaper heir behind her, who was more interested in a good time and notches on his bedpost than hard work. But he didn't have to. Greatness would be served to him on a silver platter.

Speaking of the blond, he walked over to the gate, just to the side of where Rory was standing. "How's the wife?" he asked, apparently noticing the band on Dean's left hand.

Dean frowned at the other boy without answering, and instead asked Rory, "What's this guy doing here?"

"I told you, it's my grandparents' party. I didn't invite him. I didn't invite any of them. I had no idea they'd all be here."

"Why are you getting defensive about a bunch of guys?" the other boy asked evenly. It was unnerving to have him there, just watching them like this.

"I'm not," Rory said, crossing her arms. She looked to Dean. "Let's get out of here. Do you want to get coffee?"

"Coffee sounds really good."

"Should I tell you grandparents you left with a friend of yours?" the blond called after her.

She glared back. "I don't care what you tell them."

Back in Stars Hollow, the house was empty. Lorelai must still be out with Luke, Rory thought. Or they went back to his apartment over the diner. Either way, she had the house to herself. It reminded her of another time her mother was out with a man all night, leaving Rory to do whatever she wanted. Dean had been so mad at her that night, and rightfully so. She couldn't go back, but she wished she hadn't made such a mistake. Dean was such a good boyfriend. He took care of her and she always felt safe. She could count on him, no matter what.

She looked up at him. If it was possible, he looked taller. His hair had grown out too, but other than small changes in physical appearance, he was the same. He was the same Dean she could rely on. He was her Dean.

She asked if he wanted a drink and he followed her to the kitchen. He glanced into her room and chuckled lightly.

"What?"

He gestured to the room and took a small step in. "It looks the same. I guess some things don't change."

She gazed up at him, unable to agree more.

"Is it weird to come back here, since you really live in New Haven now?"

"Not really," she answered, brushing past him to get an inside view of her room. She could feel the electricity between them. It was the same as when they were in high school. But this wasn't high school. "Dean, where does Lindsay think you are right now?"

He shrugged. "She thinks I'm out."

"Yeah, but where?"

"Doesn't matter."

"What's going on with you?"

He looked down for a second, then sat his water glass down and took a step closer. "I can't make it work with Lindsay." Neither of them could, he explained. They tried, but he wasn't happy.

"I want you to be happy."

"I can be, again," he said, looking down at her intently.

She couldn't imagine him looking at anyone else like that. She took a step closer, and before she could register how it happened, she was in his arms, and they were as warm as she remembered. She tilted her head up until their lips were fused together and she was falling back on the bed.

XXX

Rory couldn't believe everyone knew. It was one time in her childhood bedroom, and somehow all of Stars Hollow knew about it. _All_ of them. Taylor must have installed the cameras in everyone's houses without their permission, it was the only explanation she could come up with. She could feel people watch her and whisper about her when she walked down the street—minding her own business. She wasn't bothering any of them, and they'd stare at her like she was disgusting.

A couple days after she was with Dean, Lindsay had marched up to her in the front of Luke's, apparently having nothing better to do but wait for Rory, knowing she'd end up there at some point in the day. Lindsay said one word, "bitch," before slapping Rory in the face. She bitterly added, "I _hate_ you." It was as though she didn't realize how unlucky she was to be in a marriage to a husband who still loved someone else. She was free now.

Luke had pulled Rory inside and took her upstairs, away from the gossipy town, who watched the entire episode with prying eyes and rapt attention. He did his best to comfort her, bringing her chocolate chip pancakes with whip cream, like it was her birthday. He didn't know what to say and barely made eye contact with her. It was nice of him, but she couldn't swallow down the hotcakes. It was like her throat was closed while tears burned at her eyes. It wasn't fair that people were treating her this way. _They_ weren't what she would call perfect.

It was such a contentious topic that Taylor made everyone choose sides. There were red ribbons for Rory and yellow for Lindsay. That way people could avoid arguing in the street. Lindsay was winning by a hair, since people felt sorry for her. But others knew Rory was really the town favorite, and weren't afraid to point it out. They still remembered how cute she looked with Dean when they were sixteen. Miss Patty regaled the story of the time she found them sleeping in her studio the morning after the Chilton formal. Rory had looked so beautiful, sleeping in her pretty blue dress and running home on the snow dusted sidewalk in bare feet, like she was Cinderella. Babette cited Dean's loyalty to his first Stars Hollow girlfriend as proof that Lindsay was the interloper, not Rory. They conveniently forgot how her attention had strayed.

"Don't worry," her mother said. "They'll have something else to talk about in a few days. No one will even remember this."

Rory doubted it. The town lived for this kind of petty gossip.

Lorelai assured her that Richard and Emily would never know what happened. Rory was grateful, she would hate it if they thought less of her.

After a week of feeling like a leper, she had to get away from the small town. She took refuge back at school, keeping to her room when she wasn't in class or at the newspaper. Paris wanted to know why she was sulking, but Rory didn't want to deal with the judgment. She walked from class to class in a state of paranoia, sure that they all knew what she did, just like the citizens of Stars Hollow. It was silly, of course. She wasn't branded . . . she just felt like she was.

XXX

Rory and Dean were dating again. He and Lindsay were separated and would probably be legally divorced soon. It was an elephant that he didn't discuss with Rory. There wasn't much of a point. He used to be in a relationship, and now he was in a different one. It happened. They had a movie night with her mom and Luke. They ate a ton of junk food, and the tension between Dean and Luke was palpable. So all in all, it was just like the old days.

It was hard to find time and a place to be together. Dean had three jobs and lived with his parents, and Rory had classes and Paris for a roommate. There wasn't a good place to meet halfway between Stars Hollow and New Haven, so one of them would get stuck making the whole drive. It was harder for Dean since he was still sharing a vehicle with Lindsay. Rory didn't understand why Lindsay's parents didn't just get her a car if she needed to go somewhere. She didn't mention that to Dean, of course. She'd take whatever time she could get with him, but it would be nice if he was free more often.

Rory was walking out of class one day when she happened upon a room that housed one of the school's less prestigious campus publications. It was smaller than the newsroom the _Daily News_ staff worked in.

She saw the newspaper heir sitting at a desk set apart from the rest. He was leaning back in his chair with his feet up on the desk while he read something on a sheet of paper. He'd occasionally lower it to write something with a red pen. Once finished, he put his feet down and called over one of the reporters to discuss the article. He confidently made some suggestions, to which the reporter asked for clarification.

After he was finished, he noticed Rory standing by the door. "Can I help you?"

"Sorry, I was just passing by." She walked toward him, glancing around the modest newsroom and couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you write for the _Yale Daily News_?"

He shrugged. "I need to be able to run a newspaper. I didn't think competing for a by line at the flagship would be time well spent."

She bristled. "Don't you need to write too?"

"I do write." He lifted a full file folder with a vague description scribbled on the front. His brows scrunched up. "You do know the _Daily News_ isn't the only paper on campus, right?"

She lifted her chin. "It's the only daily. And it's the top paper."

He quickly lifted a shoulder again. "Okay. Congratulations on being one of the chosen."

Like _he_ wasn't chosen.

He turned to his computer, where his e-mail inbox was open. He read the message and made a note on his desk calendar for the upcoming Friday evening.

Rory's eyes widened when she saw the name of a well-known writer. She casually said, "Odd night for a book club meeting."

"My parents are throwing a dinner party." He nodded at his note. "That's just one of my mom's old colleagues from the _Journal_."

"Wow." He wasn't fazed. Was this the kind of company he always kept? "Lucky," she said. "I'd love a chance to talk with him—and your mom."

He shrugged. "They'll just laugh about inside jokes no one else will understand. I'll have to take a date so I don't get bored."

"It sounds amazing." Rory's heart beat quickened, slightly nervous at the prospect.

"How are things with Dean?" he asked suddenly, picking up some papers and sticking them in his file behind a Post-it marked 'color commentary'. He gestured toward her. "I've seen you around with him. Looks like you're together after all."

Her heart thumped and her stomach dropped in disappointment at his change of subject. "We are now. Things are fine, really good."

"Marriage didn't work out for him?"

Rory looked away. "No. They were too young." She didn't want him to think she had anything to do with it. They really were too young.

He didn't ask anything more. He had a cynical look in his eyes, not charming or mischievous. It was like he knew all the intricacies that made the world go round, and it was ugly. She felt like one of the ugly parts now.

In the spring, Rory heard about some girl showing up at that small campus paper, seeking out the publishing mogul. It was his ex-girlfriend from years ago, one he never got over no matter how many girls he dated. Some people thought it was romantic that they reconciled, but others—girls waiting in line—hated the girlfriend. She didn't seem to be anything special, Rory didn't understand why the blond boy was so hung up on her. He could do better if he wanted.

Things with Dean didn't work out—again. The relationship had been comfortable, like a trip down memory lane. When Rory tricked herself into ignoring the elephant, she was content. But only content. Being with Dean didn't make her happy anymore, and he must have sensed it, because just like before, he walked away. And like before, she didn't stop him.

_**Fin**_


End file.
